In late October 2023, after the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Messi missed out on his last title of the year despite leaving a positive impact on American soccer since joining in July.
According to reports, Lionel Messi did not make it to the top 3 for the Best MLS Player award in 2023. The award was won by fellow countryman Luciano Acosta of FC Cincinnati with 60.37% of the votes. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga came in second with 14.97%, and Thiago Almada of Atlanta United took third place with 6.46%.
One of Messi’s fellow countrymen has become the fourth Argentine player to win the MLS Most Valuable Player award. Acosta deservedly won the award for his impressive performance of 17 goals and 14 assists, helping FC Cincinnati reach the MLS Cup semifinals against Columbus Crew on December 2nd. Interestingly, Messi did not make it to the Best XI team, and even players from Inter Miami were absent due to their poor performance throughout the season. Most of the players in the team are from teams that made it to the final rounds, with Nashville SC, one of Messi’s opponents, contributing two players (one of the teams with the most players on the team).
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The top 11 players in MLS 2023 have been selected, with some surprising omissions. Despite winning 8 Ballon d’Or awards, it seems unlikely that any player will achieve this accolade in MLS. Even Lionel Messi, who has played only 6 games with 2 assists and 1 goal (during his MLS debut in August), did not make the playoffs with his team. However, Messi’s biggest impact on MLS has been his ability to attract fans, increase ticket prices, and even sell out stadiums. With Inter Miami, Messi’s greatest achievement was winning the Leagues Cup, where he scored an impressive 10 goals in 7 games.
It is highly likely that MLS fans will witness a better season in 2024 as Messi will have the best preparation from the start of the season. In fact, Messi could even become the fifth Argentine player to win the Most Valuable Player award in MLS history.
